System for the safe anchoring of bombs or containers to a conveying means



March 4, 1969 M. TARANTOLA SYSTEM FOR THE SAFE ANCHORING OF BOMBS OR CONTAINERS TO A CONVEYING MEANS Filed June 8, 1967 II N mm m I E n HM y M B M .m F

ATTQRNEXE United States Patent 3,430,981 SYSTEM FOR THE SAFE ANCHORING 0F BOMBS 0R CONTAINERS TO A CONVEYING MEANS Michele Tarantola, Via Quintino Sella 3, Rome, Italy Filed June 8, 1967, Ser. No. 644,662 Claims priority, application Italy, June 25, 1966,

35,420/66 US. Cl. 280179 Int. Cl. B60p 7/00; B621 1/00, /00

6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE While travelling on bad surface roads or tracks it is essential to insure that the bombs being carried, due to the longitudinal and transversal forces applied because of the lumpy surface or to sudden braking or accelerating actions, are not dropped down and this to prevent major hazards.

It is therefore a scope of the invention herein disclosed to render the transporation of bombs on trucks or wheeled platforms provided with cradles absolutely safe by means of an anchoring system which, besides preventing the longitudinal displacements of the bombs with respect to the carrying vehicle, ties them resiliently thereto.

The invention will be more readily understood from the following description and related drawings of two preferred embodiments which is given as a non-limitative example thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a dolly with a load thereon supported on two pairs of rollers which are mounted on a hydraulically actuated cradle.

FIG. 2 shows the same dolly of FIG. 1 as seen along the longitudinal axis of the bomb carried thereon.

FIG. 3 shows the same dolly of FIGS. 1 and 2 carrying the same load after the safety sling has been put under tension.

FIG. 4 shows a dolly with a double load.

FIG. 5 shows a spiral compression spring which replaces the usual spiral tension spring.

With reference to the figures and related index numbers, small letters have been used to indicate the various items which are already available as standard equipment of a military air base or which require only minor modifications to be used in the safety system of the present invention, while index numbers are used to indicate the new items according to the present invention.

The first embodiment is illustrated by FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and comprises particularly a dolly a for conveying and lifting bombs which dolly is provided with a cradle equipped with rollers b which cradle can be lifted by means of an hydraulic actuator; in the second embodiment which is illustrated in FIG. 4 the cradles cannot be hydraulically lifted and a turnbuckle is inserted between one end of the Sling and the dolly frame.

In both embodiments an elongated member 1 with inverted T cross section is placed on top of the bomb lengthwise thereof with the cross-piece of the T forming an 3,439,981 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 upward rib provided with a plurality of through holes One of which is used for threading chain 2 of the sling therethrough. The flange of the elongated member lying flat against the bomb is provided with two slots for accommodating a pair of lugs for lifting the bomb into the aircraft.

Across a suitable length of chain 2 without interrupting it as strong spring 4 is inserted while a light slack of the chain is left between the two points of attachement of the spring.

The dollies to be used with the anchoring system of the present invention must be provided with two side books 5 to which the ends of chain 2 are to be hooked after this has been led to pass through one of the holes of the vertical rib of the elongated member 1.

At this point, in the case illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2. 3 the hydraulic system is activated whereby the supporting cradle b of the bomb is lifted, the length of chain 2 across the spring 4 is progressively extended, the spring itself is stretched and the position of the sling illustrated by FIG. 3 is eventually attained.

In the case of FIG. 4, that is when hydraulically actuated cradles are not provided on the dolly, the sling 2 is put under the required tension by actuating the turnbuckle b.

At this position of the sling in both cases of FIGS. 3 and 4 a secure tying of the load to the dolly is achieved. In fact the vertical or longitudinal movements within the usual range of the accelerations to which the bomb is subjected are prevented inasmuch as the bomb is bound to the dolly by means of the hooking rings at which are inserted into the slots of the elongated member 1, the chain of the sling being threaded through one of the holes of the same member and by means of the hooks 5 to which the ends of the chain are connected.

However due to the spring inserted across a length of chain 2 the anchoring sys em is not rigid and it can yield without rupture under the action of exceedingly strong forces which could break any of the sling elements if said spring were not provided.

Obviously the spring 4 is differently dimensioned to meet the different conditions of the load, of the forces imposed to it by the road irregularities and of the strength of the sling elements.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 the spring to be used with the sling is a compression spring. This is a cylindrical spiral spring 4' with two plates 7 and 7 abuting or attached to the ends of the spring and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis thereof. To one of these plates 7 a rod 9 is connected by means of a nut 11 which rod runs through the space within the spiral and out of it through a hole in the plate 7 opposite to the plate 7. Rod 9 terminates with a hook for hooking it to a link of chain 2. Plate 7 is provided with two holes through which the legs of a fork 9 made of a U bent bar are introduced into the space within spring 4' and run parallel to said rod 9 until they reach plate 7' and are connected thereto by means of nuts 12. For connecting the spring 4 to the chain 2 the fork 9 is threaded through a link of the chain and subsequently introduced through the holes of plate 7 and eventually fastened to plate 7' by means of nuts 12. The hook at the end of rod 9 is then hooked to another link of chain 2 at a proper distance from the above mentioned link. This arrangement of the spring is for preventing any setting or failure in case of inadvertently excessive pull.

What I claim is:

1. A safety system for anchoring aerial bombs, torpedoes or like arms provided with lifting up eyebolts to a conveyance means such as a truck, dolly, wheeled platform or the like provided with a cradle which can be lifted hydraulically or otherwise with respect to the conveyance frame, which system comprises a sling in the form of a chain which is connected to a hook of the conveyance frame at one side of the bomb or torpedo and to another similar hook at the other side thereof, an elongated member with inverted T constant cross-section which is disposed on the top of the bomb or torpedo lengthwise of it so that the flange of said member lies fiat of the bomb surface and the cross-piece of the T is directed upwards like a rib which is provided at least with one hole through which said chain is led to pass; said flange being provided with two slots into which the eyebolts of the bomb are inserted which serve for lifting the bomb into the aircraft; a spring inserted across a length of said chain which spring is shorter than the length of chain subtended by it so that a certain slack of the chain is produced in said length of chain when the spring is not under tension; whereby when the bomb is lifted with respect to the conveyance frame it becomes resiliently bound to it with a force which is proportional to the up travel of the cradle under the action of the cradle lifting means.

2. A system for anchoring bombs, torpedoes and like arms to a conveying means as per claim 1, wherein the spring to be inserted across of a length of the sling chain is a spiral extension spring which terminates with two hooks at the ends of the spiral for connecting said ends to the links of the sling chain at the ends of the chain length to be subtended by the spring.

3. A system for anchoring bombs, torpedoes and like arms to a conveying means as per claim 1 wherein the spring to be inserted across of a length of the sling chain in a spiral compression spring interposed between two plates perpendicular to the spring axis each one of which plates is connected to the sling chain at the side of the spring opposite to said plate by means of linking means which run through the space within the spiral spring.

4. A safety system for anchoring aerial bombs as for torpedoes or similar arms to a conveyance means such as trucks, dollies, wheeled platforms and the like provided with a cradle fixed to the conveyance means which system comprises a sling in the form of a chain which is connected to a hook of the conveyance frame at one side of the bomb or torpedo and to another similar hook at the other side thereof, an elongated member with inverted T constant cross-section which is disposed on the top of the bomb or torpedo lengthwise of it so that the flange of said member lies flat on the bomb surface and the cross-piece of the T is directed upwards like a rib which is provided at least with one hole through which said chain is led to pass; said flange being provided with two slots into which the eyebolts of the bomb are inserted which serve for lifting the bomb into the aircraft; a spring inserted across a length of said chain which spring is shorter than the length of chain subtended by it so that a certain slack of the chain is produced in said length of chain when the spring is not under tension, a turnbuckle inserted in said sling chain at any location along the chain; whereby the bomb is resiliently tied down to the conveyance by tightening said turnbuckle against the force of said spring.

5. An anchoring system as per claim 1 wherein the bombs or similar arms to be anchored to the conveying means are two parallel bombs which are tied down to the conveyance by means of a single sling disposed astride of both said bombs.

6. An anchoring system as per claim 4 wherein the bombs or similar arms to be anchored to the conveying means are two parallel bombs which are tied down to the conveyance by means of a single sling disposed astride of both said bombs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,170,366 2/1916 Torgerson 280179 2,298,851 10/1942 Wachter 280179 2,651,089 9/1953 Call 280-179 BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

JOEL E. SIEGEL, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

